If you haven’t seen the three part film Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog yet, you really should. There’s no excuse not to have seen this fantastic example of independent film making, especially since award winning Producer/Director Joss Wheadon has made it free to watch via Hulu.com.

If you’ve seen it, you may have recognized a device in the first act. There is a sequence in which Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris) uses a remote control to drive a van, and his remote looks surprisingly like a large capacitive touch screen.

The remote’s face is shown a few times, and those glimpses reveal that it is, in fact, an iPhone, complete with an AT&T carrier tag and everything.

Now, you could go on about the irony that a character who is preaching about anarchy, social change and all the problems with society, etc, is using the most hyped up corporation-controlled social-status device in history for his evil doing. Is this a deliberate social commentary joke? Or is it just simply that the iPhone happens to make a really cool remote control prop?

I’d say its possible it was on purpose judging by the dark sense of humor that Joss and his brothers (who wrote the script together) have displayed.
However, after reading this interview with P J Haarsma, who is a friend of Dr. Horrible co-star Nathan Fillion, its much more likely that they just didn’t have the budget for any more props in the film, and Fillion happened to have his iPhone handy.

In fact, I was mildly disappointed to see a scene later in the film in which Dr. Horrible answers a phone call from Bad Horse (another evil character) on what is CLEARLY not an iPhone, but rather a simple looking flip phone.

According to Haarsma, his buddy Fillion had asked him to create a remote-control looking application screen for Nathan’s personal iPhone. At the time he didn’t know why, only that it had something to do with some secret upcoming guerrilla film making project with Joss Wheadon.

In fact, it appears the “remote” was merely a web app (since Haarsma doesn’t have an iPhone to develop and test on), and it is available to anyone who wishes to point their web browser here. Boom, don’t even need to Jailbreak to make your iPhone “Horrible”.

Truth be told, I just find this entire subject amusing because its an excuse for the title of this post.
Until next time…

Ok, I’m going to admit something- I got a real kick out of watching Sprint’s videos pitting the Instinct against the iPhone. Mostly because I like seeing the iPhone mocked.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bashing iPhone fans- I’m just saying for a phone that has so much hype and fanfare, its refreshing to see it kicked down a notch every now and then. The ads were very clever and entertaining, even if you’re the type to have posters of Steve Jobs in your bedroom.

In any event, some of the ads needed to be pulled when the 3G iPhone came out, since they were no longer relevant. More specifically, the ones talking about lack of 3G, GPS, etc. since the new iPhone had addressed those.

However, Sprint seems to be working hard not to miss a beat by finding new ways to poke fun of the fruit phone, and replacing those videos with a few new ones.

I sorta miss some of the older ones (”somewhere in this GINORMOUS circle?“), but even the most die hard Apple fan might find himself chuckling at some of these.

Its a shame because Sprint is kidding themselves thinking this is an iPhone-killer. Whether it really is a superior device or not, I don’t think anyone could make a dent in the Apple marketing machine’s success.

Click here see Sprint’s new videos.

HSBC Bank CIO Brenton Hush is apparently stuck in the Jobs’ Reality Distortion Field.

In a move that is raising quite a few eyebrows, Hush has told ZDnet that HSBC is considering replacing their corporate Blackberrys currently in use with 200,000 new 3G iPhones.

According to ZDnet:

Global banking giant HSBC is considering ditching the BlackBerry and adopting Apple’s iPhone as its standard staff mobile device, a move that could result in an order for some 200,000 iPhones.

Wow. Not sure what to make of this one, but lets see if it actually happens first…
Click here to read the whole article.

Ok, folks, something’s up with Apple.

Even the Apple haters out there usually admit that Apple creates polished products- they tend to not cut corners on manufacturing, and give their users a high quality product that is user friendly. This, at least, was the justification for the higher price tag on Apple products despite being proprietary and often lacking competitive features.
Apparently, that trend is changing…

In Apple Forums across the internet, rumors have emerged that the white 3G iPhone body starts to crack without reason.

At first this was dismissed as rumor, but now even Engadget’s model (which they claim has been babied in their labs) has started to develop cracks!

Between this, the horrible battery life, the activation issues, and the whole Mobile Me fiasco (which Jobs even apologized for in an internal letter! - thanks Fabrizio for posting this somewhere I can link to!), its hard to say Apple has the same higher standards for their product and user experience that they appeared to have before.

Hmm…

Battery experience and MobileMe syncing aside, the new iPhone goodness package has been a joy. Thus far I have gone a little application store trigger happy and have downloaded a slew of games and applications to my heart’s content. And thats when I began noticing something going awfully wrong. No, it was not updates failing or applications freezing my device.
I began to notice that 1) the App Store was becoming more and more tiresome to navigate (i.e scroll) through and 2) my once clean iPhone interface was now cluttered with page (slide to the left) after page (slide to the left) after page (slide to the left) after page of mobile applications without any seeming rhyme or reason.

What was once my clean iPhone interface with just the few basic essential widgets (does Apple Mobile use the term widgets anymore?) was now an application organizational nightmare.

I began to try and make some sense of it. For starters I put all my games on page 3. I put all the applications I am experimenting with on the last page. Updates kill my structure as the applications do not update where the old version resides but rather in the next place where there is space. Hey, Apple, I put my Facebook app second on page two for a reason! sigh.

It made me yearn for my Nokia’s. Could you imagine if Nokia just dropped every Symbian application you downloaded onto the home/idle screen. What a mess it would be. Instead Nokia allows you to choose 5 applications to have on your idle/home screen (albeit not in the easiest manner). Symbian applications get downloaded to applications folder and, if you use the application a lot, can be brought up to the idle/homepage.

I understand that immediacy of use is an important issue when it comes to mobile but that is really important to a few chosen applications. I mean, honestly, how many people use more than 5 applications on a regular basis.

That is of course if they are not already overwhelmed by the application store to begin with. As I am writing this there are 126 applications in the Entertainment category, 147 in the Utilities Category, 93 in the productivity category and a whopping 367 applications in the Games category.

All of them seemingly alphabetical somewhat rate based dumps.

Now do not get me wrong, the iPhone application store has proven that the mobile application is not dead. That all it needs is ease of access. And in the beginning “ease of access” is exactly what the iPhone application store was. But what happens when 367 turns into 500 or 1000. When the “Featured” and top “25″ section gets repetitive the only alternative is the exhausting search/slide of game after game after game. Maybe it is possible to have to many developers.

If they are not going to categorize within a category they should at least let you flag games you find interesting as you look at the other 366 games.

Anyways, it occurred to me that sooner or later Apple is going to have to deal with this iPhone real estate problem. In reality this is a problem across the board and on both sides of the equation. Categorizing things under many layers also creates a user interface nightmare. To many clicks divided by the smallness of the screen is a recipe for disaster. But so is an application dump (even if its on several home screens). Having loads and loads of applications getting dumped on the home screen not only looks ugly (very un-Mac) but also gets confusing and less user friendly. It also overwhelms the user and probably leads to applications getting forgotten about or used less frequently.

Perhaps this will lead to people only downloading what they need and thus forcing the market to shrink. Perhaps mobile widgets are the answer.

What is needed is a happy medium which, I can only imagine, will come about via the combination of a killer cross-functional app and mobile user-ability studies.

Hopefully we are not to far away. The fact that Apple had it right in the beginning is a sure sign that they will be one of the firsts and figure this mess out.

Technorati Tags: iphone, nokia, symbian

As a general practice regarding phone reviews I never start sharing my opinion until I have lived with the phone in the wild for at least a week. WIth the iPhone 3G I could have started commenting at launch with their launch strategy (thank goodness I went to an ATT store instead of the Apple store because apparently my plan needed a lot of upgrading).

But I could have also have started commenting by the end of the second day after my second recharge. But, I held back, thinking to myself that I am just overusing the phone because of all the new features. After day 3 and 4 and reading review after review I realized that the battery life of this device was indeed a problem and a big problem at that.

At some point, Steve Rubel pointed out a web page that Apple put up to help users “optimize” their iPhone 3G settings to improve what is evidently becoming an iPhone power failure.

While the tips are “commonsense” issue’s to a phone guy like me, to the average user they are pretty daunting.

Here are Apple’s iPhone 3G “optimizing” recommendations with my comments:

Turn off 3G: Using 3G cellular networks loads data faster, but may also decrease battery life, especially in areas with limited 3G coverage. To disable 3G, from the Home screen choose Settings > General > Network and set Enable 3G to Off. You will still be able to make and receive calls and access cellular data networks via EDGE or GPRS where available.

This is why I upgraded to 3G, to remember and reenact the iPhone’s lovely EDGE experience. As I understand it, one of the reason why the iPhone did not come out with 3G originally was because of problems with battery power. What changed here? Or did Apple just rush out a product to stay ahead of the iPhone-like competition. I will tell you this, turning 3G off has vastly improved my battery life. But, sometimes I yearn for that faster speed. So I go and get a little naughty and turn it on for a specific action or so. But to continuously turn it off and on again is a real pain. If they are going to tell me to turn 3G on and off they should not have made it 3 pushes and slides away. It should be more automagic. Essentially, My 3G iPhone is 3G no more.

Minimize use of location services: Applications that actively use location services such as Maps may reduce battery life. To disable location services, go to Settings > General > Location Services or use location services only when needed.

This is true. I was excited about the GPS (Location) feature of the phone and used it throughout the day, as anyone else would, to find directions from where I currently was or to Geo-tag pictures I have taken. While doing this I could literally watch my battery bar fade. Now, if I am traveling long distances or doing stuff where I know I wont be near an electrical socket in the next three hours I just avoid opening up LBS services all-together… which kinda of defeats the point of a “location” based service.

Fetch new data less frequently: Applications such as Mail can be set to fetch data wirelessly at specific intervals. The more frequently email or other data is fetched, the quicker your battery may drain. To fetch new data manually, from the Home screen choose Settings > Fetch New Data and tap Manually. To increase the fetch interval, go to Settings > Fetch New Data and tap Hourly. Note that this is a global setting and applies to all applications that do not support push services.

Yes, this was recommended for the iPhone 2G or iPhone 1.0. I personally had it fetching every 15 minutes for mail and my iPhone would last for the better part of the day. So far with 3G turned off this has not been a problem. Nevertheless, this is a disturbing recommendation for what is supposed to be the all purpose always on portable computer.

Turn off push mail: If you have a push mail account such as Yahoo!, MobileMe or Microsoft Exchange, turn off push mail when you don’t need it. Go to Settings > Fetch New Data and set Push to Off. Messages sent to your push email accounts will now be received on your phone based on the global Fetch setting rather than as they arrive.

Wait didn’t the above optimization hint tell me to fetch data less frequently? Also if I should turn off Push then why would I pay 99 bucks a month for MobileMe or use my iPhone an an Outlook enterprise device. Even without 3G i noticed that the Push was draining my battery a bit even on EDGE. By the way this also means turn off all of MobileMe’s other “push” capabilities for Calendar and contacts

Auto-check fewer email accounts: You can save power by checking fewer email accounts. This can be accomplished by turning off an email account or by deleting it. To turn off an account…

Well one thing is for sure, whatever account your left using will not be a Push email account and should only be checked every year or whenever they come out with a new iPhone. Because if you have multiple E-mail accounts thats your problem. Pick one, your others are not important.

Minimize use of third-party applications: Excessive use of applications such as games that prevent the screen from dimming or shutting off or applications that use location services can reduce battery life.

I am sure this is exactly what the people who built those applications want to hear. Way to support them Apple. If I cant use them as much why would I pay $9.99 - $19.99 for an application I want to or need to use as part of my mobile lifestyle. So much for this revolutionarily open 2.0 platform. If you make me decide extra applications on a phone versus the ability to call my wife, while tempting, I will always prefer the latter.

With All these limitations why am I paying an extra 30 bucks a month for unlimited data?

Turn off Wi-Fi: If you rarely use Wi-Fi, you can turn it off to save power. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and set Wi-Fi to Off. Note that if you frequently use your iPhone to browse the web, battery life may be improved by using Wi-Fi instead of cellular data networks.

Ah! Thats why! But also, how more confusing and burdensome can they make that for the average user? Turn off Wi-Fi so that your phone is not constantly scanning for Wifi networks thus draining the battery. But, Oh! using Data services on WiFi saves battery life. Searching for Wifi is a battery drain, doing all your data stuff on WiFi keeps the iPhone’s juices going longer. At least the ability to turn off and on Wifi is one push less than turning of 3G

Turn off Bluetooth: If you rarely use a Bluetooth headset or car kit, you can turn off Bluetooth to save power. Go to Settings > General > Bluetooth and set Bluetooth to Off.

This also is very true. The battery last much longer when you do not use bluetooth. Problem is, myself and many other savvy iPhone users do you use Bluetooth and would find, like i did, a suggestion like this to just be annoying. Maybe its a good thing they have not yet opened up the iPhones bluetooth for other purposes.

As I was reading this list, my always insightful wife cut me off saying “Basically, pretend its not an iPhone.” And that, it seems, is Apple’s own solution to their big battery problem.
Even if these tips are commonsense and work they just do not match the reasons why someone is supposed to buy this phone: WHy didn’t they just say:

Always be near a wall-socket or car charger: If you are near an electrical outlet you can also plug in and power up. Or to be Eco-Friendly try a solar charger.

Use as a paper-weight: Because just using the iPhone in its off state to make sure the fan doesn’t blow the papers of your desk doesn’t use any power at all.

In an earlier post-iPhone 3G Friendfeed post, Rubel amusingly quips “As the iPhone begins to resemble and be used like a computer, we will have to contend with challenges like crashing and battery life.”

This is true, but only if you focus on the glitz and glitter. Its important to point out that Apple is only making 3G, WiFi and GPS (Location services) on a phone popular. But other phone makers and carriers have been doing this all over the world (and even here in the States) for some time now.

MOpocket writer Mordy Gilden’s HTC Titan running Windows Mobile off the Sprint network has all the abilities the iPhone 3G does in terms of infrastructure, it runs tons of applications and, as Mordy pointed out to me this past Sunday (as I learned my old iPhone car charger was not compatible with the iPhone 3G) it will run all these services and last at least a full day if not longer.

There are many other phones out there with 3G, WiFi, Push, frequent data-syncs and whatever, that do not have these problems. Mordy complains about having to charge it every night, I worry about getting mine through the day.

Some reports are coming out saying that the iPhone 3G beats the competition in terms of battery life over 3G. These tests indicate talk time and not other phone usages.

But that is not really the point. its very much not like Apple to join the fray of building inferior (if they are inferior) products. And then have to make battery usage explanations like this? The iPhone 3G has been anything but Apple’s usual clean cut stylish goodness. Usually, they let everyone else try to surpass them while the technology and market is not ready. Then, when they see the magic formula they pounce. Its not like Apple to release a product till it works well. Apple fanboys know that and respect that.

Also, even if other 3G/GPS/WiFi devices are only marginally better in battery life, as some places are reporting, at least the other phones have replaceable batteries!

So I am sorry to say this, but the fault lies entirely with Apple. I am sure they will come out with a solution like, for example, a new better battery that they will replace for 39.99. In the meantime I think my iPhone playtime is over and its time to go back to Nokia.

Apple may have introduced the rest of America’s common (non-Sprint/Verizon) users to 3G. But with great power comes great responsibility. So far they are giving 3G a bad taste.

Nevertheless, there are many amazing things about the Phone that I will report on soon, as the “living with the iPhone 3G” series continues.

Here is an interesting link I just came across at posting time

Technorati Tags: 3g, apple, battery, battery life, iphone, iphone 3g, marketing, sprint, steve rubel

So, I am not what you would call a “techie.” I don’t have to be first in line for every new gadget. I don’t own an iPod. I don’t even own a television.

However, my Blackberry (which I loved very much) went missing a couple weeks ago, and with that event, I realized it was time for an upgrade in my technology.

Since, I was due for a new phone, I figured I could sign up to get an iPhone. I went to an AT&T store to try to do this. The sales associate was nice; he said I could buy a Curve temporarily and then return it for an iPhone two weeks later.

This sounded good to me, and this is what I tried to do this morning.

I showed up at the AT&T store at 6:00 a.m. and waited with other patient iPhone-hopefuls for two hours for the store to open.

When I got inside, what seemed like some exclusive club, the sales associate told me an exchange was going to be too hard and too slow because their systems were moving very slowly. He suggested that I get some slip or some other thing and then come back a few days later. I said no, I have been waiting here since 6:00 a.m.

So, with that, he exchanged the phone. But then said their printers were down so I could not get any physical paper work to sign. I don’t know about you, but I like to read contracts before I sign them. I also like a representative to outline the terms with me. Since, I have never had an iPhone, I really would have liked to get extra time and attention with a knowledgable tech guru.

He said he would email me the paperwork.

Then he handed me the phone and told me to set it up at home. I said I wasn’t going home; I was headed straight to work, so I’d like them to set up the phone right then and there.

They said because the system was overloaded and they could not do that, and that I needed to set it up at work or home.

I was nervous. Again, I am no tech guru and I certainly wanted a working phone right away. I didn’t understand how a piece of shiny plastic they just sold me was going to automatically sync up with my old phone number from my Blackberry.

Confused, I left the store, feeling half-assured as the rep said: Call me if you have any questions and I will walk you through this.

Well, I tried to set the phone up at work and still…I sit with no phone. (And no voicemail apparently…once that rep took that sim card out of my Blackberry, I guess my voicemail was deactivated).

I called the store. They couldn’t walk me through it.

Hmmm…my feeling right now: this is a tough economy, and while $199 is a good price for a new phone, I expected better service. I expected the process to be seamless. I mean, this is Apple, right? King of all things modern, clean and streamlined?

I should have walked into AT&T with a Blackberry and walked out with a working iPhone and a smile.

-A frustrated friend of mine

I posted on my personal blog a couple of days ago that the 3G iPhone is still lacking some features, and that I was sort of disappointed to hear that’s it.

Ok, fine, so it has a GPS chip too… but I think most people would rather have a storage card slot or removable battery than GPS.

The iPhone is a great phone, but its far from perfect, and missing several “key” features that many standard free-with-contract phones have.
I think the top of everyone’s list was 3G and 3rd party App support, which they appear to have addressed. But what about the other shortcomings and missing features?
Is apple doing this on purpose, perhaps to make you buy a new iPhone every year?
Read more about it here.

Well, I’ve decided to dub today “iPhone day” to inaugurate the release of the 3G iPhone as well as
the coveted 2.0 firmware that will allow 3rd party applications to be installed from the itunes store.

This is an auspicious day for Apple fans - not only does the iPhone finally release a 3G model (a subject that caused much ridicule from iPhone haters), but even the original models are now officially recognized as a “Smartphone” by my definition of the term.

Congratulations to iPhones everywhere- today is graduation day.
*tear* They do grow up so fast… Why, it feels like just yesterday that I was complaining about how un-capable these devices were despite their glitz and glam (and hype).

Now the question is, will this solve all the compaints of missing functionality that high end users have had with the original iPhone?

How many of the “missing” features can be restored by third party applications?

Well, it won’t help the fact that you can’t insert memory cards, replace the battery, or type on a real keyboard.

However, perhaps some of the other complaints such as video recording, MMS, and A2DP (stereo bluetooth) can be remedied with software updates from third parties.

At least 3G is off the top of the complaint list…

Oh, and let’s see if we can spread the name “iPhone day” around and get it to stick!

NOTE: Yes, I’m aware that the phone is not out yet in US… However dude to time-zone discrepancies, it was released in New Zealand at the equivalent of 8:01am NYC time.

According to Apple Insider:  Teens are willing to fork over $500 of their hard earned babysitting and lawn mowing money for the much anticipate Apple iPhone.   A recent PiperJaffray study reports:

Nearly 85 percent high school students said they were already familiar with the multi-function Apple gadget, and of those students, 25 percent said they’d be willing to buy one at the previously announced $500 entry point.